NYC Supersize Soda Ban Starts March 12

It's been a long and sugar-coated road toward banning sodas over 16-ounce sizes. But earlier this week, the Health Department confirmed that Mayor Bloomberg's rule won't really be enforced until March 12. In the meantime, violators will just get warning notices.

After the grace period, retailers selling oversized drinks risk accruing $200 fines. The ban affects fast-food chains, theaters, delis, cafeterias, but not convenience stores or supermarkets. To the sheer delight of many, the Big Gulp will live on.

Even if New Yorkers don't like the idea of Bloomberg telling us what and how much we can drink, we agree that shoving double-digit ounces of high fructose corn syrup into our bodies is less than ideal.